The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-21
OLD TIME SUGAR RAISING.

How 1t Was Conducted the bore
Plantation Nearly Seventy Years Ago.
This plantation was sagaciously and
tastefully laid out for beauty and pro-
ductiveness. The gardens occupied a
large area, and at once astonished the
eye by the magniicence of their shady
avenues of orange trees. UnbrolSen re-
treats of myrtle and laurel detied the
rays of the sun. Flowers of every de
scription perfumed the air. Extensive
orchards produced every fruit of which
the climate was susceptible. By judicious
culture there had been obtained remark
able success in producing abundance
of juicy grapes, every bunch of which,
however, when they began to ripen, was
enveloped in q sack of wire to protect
them against the depredations of birds.
The fields were cultivated with such a
careful observance of the variable ext
gencies of every successive season that
there was no such thing known as a
short or half crop, or no crop at all.
This was reserved for much later days.
But under the administration of Etienne
de Bore, during period of twenty-five
years, from the first ebullition of sugar
kettle in 1895 to the time of his death in
1920, every crop was regularly the same
within a few hogsheads. When, how
ever, he ceased to exist this seat of order
and prosperity became a chaos of dis
order and ruin. and the estate finally
passed away from the family into the
hands of strangers.
1t was a self-suffcient little domain,
exporting a good DEAL and importing but
meagerly, so that the balance was very
much in its favor. 1t was largely sup
is,.l +N,1s -,
geese, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowls and
every variety of poultry without stint.
Eggs were gathered by the bushel. Pig
cons clouded the sun, and when the small
back cherries (call merises in Frencln
were ripe, those feathered epicurcs ate
fhem voraciously, got royalty drunk and
falling from the trees strewed the ground
beneath. a numerous herd of cattle,
under the inspection of old Pompey, and
n black youngster called Souris lin
English mouse), account of his di-
minutive figure, pastured luxuriously
and grew fat, What q quantity of
fresh butter, rich cheese, milk, cream
aud clabber! Vast barns gorged with
corn, rice and hay; hives bursting with
honey; vegetables without measure, and
50 luscious; a varied and liberal supply of
carriages always ready for use, and horses
for the saddle or for driving, all glossy
and sleek; spirited mules, well fed and
well curried the pride of the field hands;
shrimps and fish from the river; multi
tudes of crawfish from the deep bitches;
raccoons and oppossuDls to gladden. the
heart Of the most surly negro. Bore had
made of his estate both farm and a
plantation. Every day before dawn
carloads departed for New Orleans with
Il
handed over when it reached its destina-
ton to two old women, Agathe and
Marie, who We're the occupants and guard
inns of the town house of Bore. They
admirably understood the art of selling,
and were wen known to the whole popu-
iation, whose confidence they possessed.
Going to market with baskets full,
they generally brought them back
empty. Josephine, a handsome, strong
Gmbed and light footed mulatto.
with another female assistant of a
darker color, sold the milk and
butter with wonderful rapidity, and both
were hack ut the plantation at 1890
n. M, with the mail, the daily papers
ami whatever else they had to bring. 1t
was cloci1work in everything ON that
plantation of the old regime. Hence the
farm produced ct least $4,000 per annum,
besides supplying all the wants of those
who resided ON it, black or white, and
the product of the plantation was almost
all profit.
The discipline established on it was a
sort of military one. At dawn, when it
was time to go to the field and the
other labors of the day, the big bell rang.
The whole gang of negroes came to the
house. in front of which they all kneeicd,
and n short prayer was said, always in
the presence of male member of the
family, who stood up with head uncov-
cred. The same ceremony was per-
formed in the evening before they went
to their supper and their rest for the
night | wildly remember how / felt
when, being about ) years old. l was for
the first time called upon to preside over
the prayers of the dark assemblage--
Charles Gayarre in Harper's Magazine.